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it seems like philly is pretty desperate for a goalie…. I’m wondering what they’d give for Osgood right now?

Seems like a crazy move and the Wings would probably never do it, but the fact is it’s a transitional year anyway and there’s some outstanding talent in the Wings minor system. Daniel Larsson is chomping at the bit. He was the best goalie in the entire Swedish Elite League a few years back and was an AHL All Star last year… with Jimmy Howard as the other goalie on his team! He’s been as good if not consistently better than Howard his whole time with the Griffins. It just happened that it was Howard’s turn… he could no longer be sent down to the minors. It was time to see what he could do in the NHL. And we’ve seen it. Could Larsson be even better?

What’s more, the kid playing behind Larsson in Grand Rapids is Thomas McCollum a 20 year old first round draft pick who is supposed to end up the best of them all!

And what’s more, is the kid wasting away on the Toledo Walleye in the ECHL, waiting to get called back up to Grand Rapids, is Jordan Pearce… the best goalie in all of college hockey last year. Pearce had a 1.68GA and a .931SV% for Notre Dame.

Back to my original point - with Howard having clearly taken the reigns as the starting net minder, it’s now looking more and more likely he will be in net come playoff time. Is Babcock’s whole “whoever gives us the best chance to win” mentality going to change once the playoffs start? No. Howard has not only been better than Osgood all season, but he’s been one of the best in the league.

Now of course, Ozzie has more than proven himself in the playoffs. The man clearly has the ability to elevate his game to another level. But he’s old and the Red Wings don’t really need him anymore - it’s as simple as that. The fact that Ozzie is such a playoff machine is exactly why a playoff team desperate for goaltending might overpay.

The only team that fits seems to be the Flyers. With Emery out for the season, they appear pretty desperate. They are fighting for their playoff lives, much like the Red Wings and, also like the Wings, are built to contend for the cup. They went out and got Pronger to win now. If they can’t pry away a Vokoun or Biron, Chris Osgood would be mighty tempting. The Wings could even throw in Lebda which would clear $2,200,000 off the books, giving them some room to add someone pretty substantial. Larsson steps in for the playoff stretch which would be great experience for him, the Wings could get a skilled, brutal, Drake-Like maniac, checking forward which seems to be what all the brass thinks is between them and cup contention and probably a pick or prospect as well.

Over the summer, the Wings could reevaluate Larsson’s situation and either decide to go with two youngsters next year, or pick up another veteran.

Not going to happen obviously… but it’s at least interesting to ponder.